Double the Fun
by The Creatress
Summary: Post TTP. Artemis and Holly try to mend their damaged relationship and restore their trust for one another while facing a dangerous new alliance: Minerva and Opal Koboi are working together. Rating may go up for adult themes and violence in later chapters
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer- I do not own Harry Potter or anything related.

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Author's Note:

First ever Artemis Fowl fic. Forgive me if I get some of my canon-facts wrong (books 2, 3 and 4 are awfully hazy to me for some reason…). Feel free to point out errors, but please don't full out flame me over them.

This has TTP spoilers, and takes off pretty much where the sixth book ended.

Enjoy.

Luv

Creatress

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Prologue

Your Inner Demoness

Opal ran. Ran like she'd never before in her life, for hours straight, but the pounding of her heart and the stitch in her side weren't enough to quench the exhilarating adrenaline that was rushing through her. She didn't even notice what a sorry state her outfit was in. After months of writing to politicians, pretending to beg for mercy, finally – _finally_, she'd saved herself.

Literally.

The Opal from eight long years ago, bleeding and bruised by the kraken shell, had managed to rescue her present self before fading into time. Opal knew where she'd gone – back into the time stream to go back into the past. She needed to, to carry out all her plans from the beginning. And the pixie knew all this because she herself had done it before.

In her past, Opal had been attacked by kraken shells, but lived so that she could rescue her future self. Now, she _was_ her future self and, as expected, had been rescued by her younger self. … Mind boggling, she chuckled, wryly.

Opal finally slowed and collapsed when she was satisfied with the distance she'd put between herself and the prison. Her mind swimming in exhaustion, she fell to the ground when she reached the bottom of a large tree. She was above ground, on Mud Man territory, but she could barely bring herself to care. There would be few Mud Men around this natural site, so close to Tara. She glanced at the skies, her eyes lingering appreciatively on the moon as the close-by river sounded soothingly.

Magic.

Opal needed magic. She was drained – they didn't take good care of you in prison. Gulping a little, she started shifting the soft earth beneath her. After decades of injecting herself with blood, genes, potions, elixirs, etc., the Ritual never did work properly for her. On lucky days, everything would be all right. On unlucky ones, she'd have to find yet another of her inventions to help the Ritual take effect. She hoped this was her lucky night. Everything _else_ seemed to be going well…

Opal's fingers curled around an acorn. But before she could smile in triumph, a small dart suddenly appeared at her hand, its needle buried into her wrist. She could only widen her eyes, as a wave of nausea swept over her and the world fuzzed at the edges. Had the LEP found her?! What the hell was going on?!

"I don't suppose you would consider a peaceful surrender?" a cool, feminine voice – one that sounded much like Opal's own – sounded behind her.

Opal managed to fight whatever drug that entered her system and turn around. A small blonde human girl stepped out of the shadows and into the moonlight. Opal's face twisted in a wide range of negative emotions, and her scowl intensified when the girl took another step toward her. "Stay back!" Opal barked.

The blonde looked thoughtful for a second. "They never do," she answered her own question. She looked off to the right. "Juan?"

D'Arvit… Opal couldn't react before another dart pierced her, this time in her shoulder. This one was just as strong, maybe stronger, than the first one. She tried desperately to fight it, but just couldn't. She was too weak. She didn't even have the strength to be angry when she crumpled to the ground – so much effort and energy into escaping from prison, only to be caught again. By a captor who was probably worse than the police.

Before Opal's vision went black, she looked up and made out the blonde standing over her, her pale face blocking out the moon. As angry and weak as Opal was, she took a moment to take the appearance of the girl in: Light blue eyes behind thick, yet stylish rectangular glasses… Golden curls framing her face and tumbling around her shoulders… Long, dark brown, tapered jacket… Matching, high-heeled boots…

Maybe this wouldn't be so bad.

Ha.

End of Prologue

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A/N There's the prologue. A/Hness starts next chapter. I still haven't decided which direction I'll go with Opal and Minerva's relationship, so tell me what you think.

REVIEW!

Luv

Creatress


	2. Welcome Home

Disclaimer- All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

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Author's Note:

Here's chapter 1.

Enjoy.

Luv

Creatress

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Chapter 1

Welcome Home

Artemis fidgeted with large, red-jeweled ring on his left hand. A week had passed since his mother had been cured and all the excitement had pretty much died down. Everything was back to normal. At least, almost. He suddenly thought he heard his mother's footsteps coming toward his room, and he whipped his hands apart.

Angeline, who knew everything now, had developed a habit of smiling brazenly and posing questions about Holly every time she caught her son playing with the special ring. And his answers were so jumbled, elaborate, and, apparently, funny when it came to Holly that his mother quizzed him often. When she asked him what Mulch looked like, Artemis had answered with, "Well, short, a little round. Big mouth. Brown hair." When she'd asked for a description of Holly, Artemis' regular quick-answer mode fizzled down to, "Umm, her hair's this brownish red. More red than brown. Unless we're somewhere dark, than it's mostly brown. If we're above ground and the sun hits it, it's _really_ red – like, rust red. I think that's my favourite." That had been one time – as soon as Artemis noticed the Cheshire-like smile on his mother's face, he'd abruptly stopped. Now, he was sure to keep his descriptions of Holly as cold and robotic as possible.

"Artemis, what are you doing in here?" Angeline appeared in the doorway, scrutinizing her son with a troubled expression. "It's a beautiful day. Shouldn't you be outside with your brothers?"

Artemis frowned a little, glancing away. "I think I have a lot of work today, Moth – Mom."

Angeline's eyebrow rose up as she surveyed him on his bed, doing what looked like nothing. "Like what?" she frowned.

Artemis froze. "Well, I'm just about to get started." He glanced briefly at his ring. But that was enough for Angeline.

Angeline took a few steps into the room, obviously fighting a smile. At the last moment, she decided to be merciful. "If you do call any of your fairy friends…" She started. She decided that she wasn't even going to mention Holly's name. "I would really like to meet them."

Artemis inwardly swallowed a sudden lump that had appeared in his throat. Calling Holly right now was actually quite hard to do – they had so much to talk about. Too much to talk about. Their relationship, for one thing.

All Angeline Fowl knew was that Artemis felt strongly about Holly. What she didn't know was that Artemis' relationship with Holly was long, complicated and full of so much history, feelings and issues that tore them apart and kept them together all at once. For one thing, his mother didn't know that he'd met Holly when he'd kidnapped her, mentally tortured her, risked her life and held her hostage… For gold. That sort of stuff tends to weigh heavily on a relationship, and sometimes, Artemis truly wondered if Holly might have Stockholm Syndrome.

Now that the dust had settled after their latest escapade, Artemis was more than apprehensive about calling Holly. They had to talk about how he'd lied to her and betrayed her trust. Again. He didn't want to talk about that. But he wanted to talk to her.

Before Artemis could answer his mother, his ring lit up and vibrated for a second. Artemis raised an eyebrow at the bright red light coming from the ring before turning to frown at his mother. "That's Holly, now," he said, starting to curl his fingers. He almost told her that the ring lighting up red meant it was an emergency.

Angeline smiled a little before backing out of the room. "I'll leave you alone then. Remember what I said," she called, as she pulled the door shut behind her.

Artemis hurriedly brought his closed fist to his ear. He was almost thankful that there was something to distract them from the little matter of his lying to her. "Holly? What's wrong?"

Holly's voice was breathless and frantic. "Opal's gone!"

Artemis wasn't sure he heard right. "Opal?" He frowned, thinking about it. "Which one?"

"The one we had locked up. Her past self must have rescued herself, and she's gone now. The cameras caught the two of them leaving the prison."

Artemis got up from the bed and took a few quick paces across his room to the window. "How strong are they?" He could have been asking about the weather, his voice was so casual.

"Weak. Our experts say they're both really weak. But it would be disastrous if they get their power back. Artemis, you'd be number one on their hit list."

Artemis searched the skies for a second, almost as if looking for Opal on a broomstick. "One's weak and the other's quite injured," he summed up. He felt oddly unruffled. "They're both rather benign right now, aren't they?" he asked.

There was a pause before Holly answered. "Artemis? Why are you so calm about this?"

"I find it unprogressive to panic about such things," Artemis answered, coldly. He paused for a second. "You say I'm number one on their hit list?"

"Yes!"

"I suppose you think I'll need extra security?" Artemis could practically see the exasperated confusion that would line Holly's face before a fierce scowl broke out across it. He started mentally counting down. 'Three… Two… One.'

"What are you planning?"

Holly sounded defeated, but Artemis smiled. He knew her too well – it would have been inaudible to a stranger, but he heard the note of fondness in her voice quite clearly. "Now, Holly, what makes you think I'm planning anything?"

"Artemis, there's a part of me that's starting to think you were behind their escape." There was a sad honesty in her voice.

Artemis smiled, thinly. "A small part, I hope?" he asked, just a little bit wryly. "She tried to kill my mother. Even I wouldn't risk letting her out just so that I could hunt her down all over again."

Holly laughed, softly. "No, you wouldn't." She paused for a second before continuing. "Vinyaya wants to place security around the manor. I already know what you're going to say, so should I even bother asking?"

Artemis' gaze travelled to his room's door, where his mother had stood a moment before. "It's always good to double check…" he muttered.

"Pardon?"

Artemis smirked a little. "What I meant to say is, you're right. Especially with the twins around, it might be good to have a bit of extra protection along with Butler. Just a bit, though."

"Artemis? You want the LEP to send extra security?" Holly's voice gave away her surprise. "Seriously, Artemis, what are you planning?"

Artemis sighed, heavily. "You misunderstand, Captain," he stated. "With Butler around, I needn't worry much. However, I believe that just one extra, extremely-talented soldier is enough. Catch my drift?"

Holly immediately let out a sound of exasperation. "Artemis… Are you out of your overly enlarged mind?!" she hissed. "There may be two Opals out there, planning their vengeance and world domination, and you're inviting me over for a sleepover?"

Artemis smirked, leaning against the side of the window. "No, Captain. Sleeping over is just a side perk. I'm inviting you to help my bodyguard safeguard the manor. While you're here, you can also help me plan to bring Opal and Opal Younger back to prison where they belong. It's not like events like quick, swift arrests being made and evil plots being stopped are unprecedented whenever we're together."

There was a few seconds of silence as Holly pondered this. She confirmed what Artemis was thinking. "Kelp would never go for this."

Artemis frowned. "It's either you or no one, Holly," he said. "Kelp knows what it takes to bring down an evil villain like Opal."

"An even more evil, villainous Mud Boy?"

"Holly, I'm hurt," Artemis intoned.

"I'm sorry. Let me rephrase that – an even more evil, villainous Mud Man?"

"Much better," Artemis said, sounding grateful. "In any case, make sure to say that to Trouble Kelp. Tell him that I'll bring Opal home to prison – yet _again_ – and that I expect the LEP's full co-operation." He paused. "If Trouble proves to… Live up to his name, let's say – just take it to Vinyaya."

Artemis could hear the smile in Holly's voice when she spoke next, even though her tone was one of complaint and fatigue. "Arty… Why do you always have to complicate matters?"

He couldn't help the quick smile that formed across his lips at hearing his nickname. "Because that's the way you like it, Holly," Artemis responded, feeling cheerful all of a sudden.

Holly's sigh carried over the line. "I'll be over there as soon as I can, Artemis."

"By this afternoon, I hope. Remember, Captain – I'm trusting you to effectively convey my tenacity to the LEP. You or no one."

There was a bit of a stoniness in Holly's tone when she responded. She never did like Artemis ordering her about (in these types of situations). "Yes, Master Fowl. I understand." Artemis grinned, but before he could say anything, Holly spoke again. "Why this afternoon?" Her voice became hushed, as if she didn't want to be overheard. "_Are_ you worried about Opal?"

Artemis prepared to straighten his curled hand. "No, not Opal. You need to be here by 5:00 PM today."

Holly didn't respond immediately. "Why?" she finally asked, curiously.

"Because dinner's served at 7:00 PM, and I'll need two hours to prep you for my mother. Bye, Holly." Before Holly could respond, Artemis whipped his hand away from his ear, uncurling it as he did so. Try as he might, he couldn't will himself to get rid of the little smile at the corner of his lips.

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Opal felt like she'd been hit repeatedly over the head. Opening her eyes and tiredly scanning her surroundings, she frowned. All of a sudden, she heard hurrying footsteps fade into the distance as someone ran away. She quickly deduced that one of the guards must have noticed her awake and ran off to tell the boss.

The room she was in had no windows. Obviously, it was the basement. There was concrete everywhere, but… At least it was well decorated. There were a few neutral-coloured throw rugs around the floor, a little sitting area off to the side with black, leather couches and a few paintings on the walls. There was a wooden door against one wall. The bed she'd been lying on was king-sized, with dark gray, silver and white sheets. The only splash of non-neutral colour came from a vase of red flowers in the middle of the sitting area. All in all, a very tasteful room, if it weren't for the concrete and the iron bars in front of the big metal door before her.

Speaking of the iron bars, they were sliding to the side. A second later, the heavy-looking metal door behind them swung open. The blonde girl stepped in, momentarily looking over her shoulder. "That'll be all, Juan. I can take it from here." She nodded to the side, and the metal door swung shut behind her. The young woman then shifted her gaze to Opal. "Awake, already?" she asked, airily. She spoke French. "I would've expected you to have been asleep for a day longer, at the least."

Opal tried to scowl, but she knew it looked weak. Her head pounded. She wanted to demand who this little wench thought she was, where in the world she was and what she had to do to get an Aspirin. But that wasn't what Opal focused on. Deciding that none of that information would help her immediate comfort, she looked down at herself and her face twisted in horror, despite the pain she was in. She was wearing cotton, bright yellow pajamas. It was a step above the prison uniform, but… _Cotton, bright yellow pajamas_! "What am I wearing?!" she screeched.

Minerva's eyebrows rose a little. Clearly, that wasn't the response she'd been expecting. "I beg your pardon?" she asked.

Opal fixed her dark brown eyes on the blonde. It didn't matter who the girl was or where she was. The girl would be dead soon, and Opal would soon break out of here. If her younger self could bust her out of a high-security prison, then this little basement apartment should be a snap. But there was no way in hell she would let anyone – herself included – catch her spending time in these atrocious clothes. "What am I wearing?" she asked, her tone straight and even.

Minerva's eyes quickly roamed over the pixie. Opal thought she saw the little human's lips quirk slightly. "Ah, you're displeased with your attire."

Smart girl, eh? Opal's lip curled. "I wouldn't even go so far as to grant these repugnant things the appellation." She tugged at the edge of the nightshirt. "I demand you provide me with better designed garments…" She paused, and smirked threateningly, eyeing what Minerva was wearing. The blonde was dressed well in a gray high-waisted pencil skirt, a short-sleeved white blouse and high-heeled black sandals. Not bad. "Or do I have to rip yours off of you?"

Minerva's eyes slightly widened, but she quickly composed herself and even smirked a little. "Unnecessary," she stated. She nodded toward an ebony wardrobe off against the side of the wall. "I had the sense to prepare better clothing. What I found you in was hardly… Elegant."

Opal almost rolled her eyes. She had the sense to strip herself of the upper half of the prison jumpsuit that had the prison's name, her name and her identification number on it. She'd made the long journey from the underwater prison to Tara in a singlet and the pants. She suddenly felt the need to clarify the girl. "That's not my usual style," she scowled. "The situation I'd found myself in had unfortunately forced me into something… Unfitting of me."

Minerva slowly smiled and Opal guessed that she was trying to look non-threatening and friendly. "I guessed as much," she said. Once again, she nodded at the wardrobe. "You may change in the bathroom," she said, gesturing lightly toward the wooden door. "As you might have noticed, I've already washed your hair and given you a quick sponge bath just this morning. You weren't in the neatest state when I found you."

Opal quickly looked herself over. She did feel clean. Frowning a little, she turned to the girl. "It was you? Not some human nurse?"

Minerva smiled. "No, I know not to let just anyone around a captured pixie," she said.

Opal inwardly gulped a little at the word 'captured.' However, she decided not to let her discomfort show. Gracefully sliding off the bed, she made her way to the wardrobe and opened the doors. The girl hadn't been lying – these clothes were tasteful. She rummaged through it and quickly found a black Oriental-style dress that came a few inches past her knees. The way it would cover her neck and shoulders comforted her, especially after the last needle she'd suffered. As she pulled it out and made her way to the bathroom, she felt the girl's eyes on her. It took all her will power not to slam the wooden door shut.

Opal sighed in the privacy of the wooden, spa-styled bathroom. She briefly wondered if there was concrete beneath it all and if there were cameras. Either way, there wasn't anything she could do about it in her current state. Her magic was all but depleted and she still had no idea where she was. She undressed quickly and pulled the dressed on in a flash. If there was a camera here, she wouldn't give anyone a damned show.

Opal then turned to the mirror. The girl had washed her hair well. It was clean and felt soft, but it was tangled. Almost robotically, she picked up the brush and started running it through her dark tresses, inwardly listing each person she'll have to murder with each brush. Wing Commander Vinyaya. _Brush_. Foaly. _Brush_. Holly Short. _Brush_. Artemis. _Brush_. Fucking. _Brush_. Fowl. _Brush_.

She finished with a yank of the brush that was far too violent for her hair and ended up ripping a few strands out. She took a few deep, calming breaths, murmuring some yoga phrases in an effort to soothe her nerves as she cleaned up her hair.

Exhaling, Opal stepped out of the bathroom to find the blonde sitting in one of the leather armchairs, legs crossed and hands folded neatly in her lap. "I don't believe you've given me your name," she said, tersely.

The blonde responded without so much as a batting an eyelash. "Minerva Paradizo," she introduced herself. She gestured at the couch across from her. "Please. Sit."

Opal crossed the room and sat down, never taking her eyes away from the girl's light blue orbs. "_Enchantee_," she muttered, sitting down.

"And I can't help but wonder what your name is…?" Minerva prodded.

Opal held her gaze. "Opal Koboi," she stated.

"That's a lovely name," Minerva said, nodding. "One of my favourite gems."

Opal smiled, wryly. "Who in the seven circles are you?" she asked.

Minerva smiled a little before reached for something on the small table beside her. "Opal, when I found you, you were about to do the ritual and never completed it."

"Do you take some sort of childish pleasure from pointing out the obvious?" Opal asked, casually. She narrowed her eyes. "What are you getting at?"

Minerva's smile became a little more forced. "I was just thinking that you might be tired," she said. "Drained, perhaps?" She reached across and held out her hand. She didn't miss how the pixie's eyes widened slightly when she saw what was nestled in her palm. "After all, what's a pixie without her magic?"

Opal immediately reached out and snatched the acorn out of Minerva's hand. She then looked up at the human girl suspiciously.

Minerva's lips quirked and she gestured at the red carnations between them. "There is dirt in the vase. There was no indication in the Book that said it had to be the dirt you return the acorn to has to be on the ground," she said. Her smile widened. "Go ahead."

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It was 4:55 PM. Artemis heard Holly appear in his study, and he allowed himself half a second's smile before looking up from his desk. "The front door _is_ over-rated," he shrugged in greeting. He quickly ran his eyes over her.

Holly wasn't dressed in the LEP uniform he usually saw her in. She was wearing a black skirt, a dark green shirt that was buttoned to the neck and her short hair was pulled back into a ponytail at the nape of her neck. She was just slipping off small, metallic wings. Behind her, were two suitcases.

"Foaly lend you wings for your trip here?" he asked, getting up and walking around his desk.

"Yes," Holly smiled. There was something off in her smile, but she said nothing as she set the wings down at her feet.

Artemis looked her over again. He decided not to tell her that he liked her hair out. "You're not dressed the part for the mission, Captain," he remarked.

Holly met his eyes, and her smile widened a little. "I'm on vacation." Artemis raised an eyebrow in question, and she smirked. "Vinyaya was outvoted. It was two full guards or nothing, Arty. So I decided it was time to use my vacation days."

Artemis didn't know what to think or say as he crossed the room to stand before her. She came up to the middle of his chest. "Holly… I - "

Holly gave him a reassuring look. "Saving the world with you is one of the most relaxing things I could do," she said. But then she glanced away before beckoning him to lean forward a little. When he did, she gave him the customary kiss on the cheek hello. "You hadn't called for a while, Arty."

Artemis gulped a little. This was what he'd been procrastinating. She knew exactly why he hadn't called – he could tell by the saddened look in her eye. "Holly…" He started. He paused, not knowing what to say. And then blurted out, "You look nice."

Holly smiled, slightly. "And you look as devilish as ever," she told him.

Artemis quirked the corner of his lips. "I never meant to lie to you. Again."

Holly looked away for a few seconds this time. "I know… But I can't help but feel…"

"Like I'll do it again," Artemis finished. He knew psychology, but even common sense would dictate she wouldn't trust him as she used to.

Holly turned back to him, meeting his gaze. She looked like she was about to say something, but then bit her lip a little. "We'll talk about us later," she suddenly decided. "It's almost 5:00 PM and you said you needed two hours to prep me." She broke out into a cheerful smile. "Tell me about your mother…"

End of Ch. 1

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A/n

Hope you enjoyed Ch. 1. I promise chapter 2 will be longer, and will have more explanations:

What will Angeline think of Holly? Vice versa?

What's Minerva up to? How did she find out about fairies? Why let Opal have her magic back?

Opal… Let's not even try starting a list for her. Simply put, _what is she going to do?_

Reviews help me write faster… Show me you want Chapter 2!

Luv

Creatress


	3. What We Want

Disclaimer- All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

xXxXxXx

Author's Note:

Here's chapter 2.

Enjoy.

Luv

Creatress

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Chapter 2

What We Want

"My father took the twins out camping earlier today, and because Butler was on vacation for the last week, she's been on me relentlessly for the last few hours…" Artemis was saying.

Holly glanced at him in concern, but also exasperation. If she'd known Butler was away from the manor, she would have come earlier. "But he'll be back tonight?" she asked, for the tenth time since she'd arrived.

The last two hours had been spent with Artemis trying to stay on course as he filled Holly in about what Angeline did and did not know. But it was hard getting everything in, because they kept getting lost in the memories. Just the good ones, though, like when they'd rescued his father. When Artemis told Holly all the negative things he'd neglected to tell his mother about, there was only curt nodding and stiff words. Also, Holly hadn't been happy about the present situation – it was only Artemis, Angeline and herself in the manor at the moment. After Artemis had contacted Butler, the bodyguard had cut his own vacation time short to come home two weeks early.

It didn't help the situation that they'd gotten into another fight over something Artemis wanted Holly to do tonight. Artemis won, but only because Holly begrudgingly realized they were running out of time to think of another way around the problem.

"He'll be here as soon as he can," Artemis said.

Angeline had been sitting at the dining room table, slightly massaging her forehead, but she broke out into a wide smile as soon as she saw Holly. Artemis came in behind the small young woman, looking as stoic as ever. The fairy, however, smiled openly at the older woman.

Angeline got up and went forward to greet Holly. "So you must be Holly," she said.

"And you must be Mrs. Fowl," Holly responded, politely extending a hand. She could feel Artemis' nervous presence behind her. The young man who'd met gangsters, kidnappers and murderers with a cool mindset was antsy about introducing his mother to his best friend. It made Holly want to laugh a little.

Angeline squeezed Holly's hand. "Oh, don't be so formal. Call me Angeline," she murmured. She leaned over and wrapped her arms around Holly's small frame. If she'd noticed Artemis' slight smirk, she didn't acknowledge it. "I remember you. You helped save my life."

Holly's breath hitched and she flushed when Angeline pulled away to look down at her with grateful adoration. "Who?" she asked, blinking. "Me? I didn't… I mean, I never…"

"Don't be modest, Holly. My mother knows all about you coming to the past with me," Artemis said. "Let's all sit down, shall we?"

Angeline went back to her side of the circular glass table and sat down, still smiling happily. She was the kind of woman who was contagious with her moods – Holly couldn't stop her lips from quirking either. She almost laughed when Artemis pulled out a chair for her before sitting down himself – it was so unlike him. But he'd warned her that his mother would verbally cut him to pieces if he wasn't polite as possible, so she didn't comment on it herself. Holly only opted to smirk at Artemis as he sat down beside her.

"So, Artemis has told you everything about the time travel?" Holly asked.

"Only the good stuff," Artemis chuckled, rather loudly. Needless to say, the two hours hadn't been enough.

Angeline was looking at Holly earnestly. "I think - " She paused when the door to the dining room opened and two men walked in. They were wearing black pants, white shirts and clean red vests. Both were pushing in a stainless steel cart – obviously the first course. After they'd served the soup and left, Angeline continued. She understood well the importance of utter secrecy and vigilance. She smiled at Holly when the three of them were alone. "I think it was so great of you to go with Artemis into the past. I know time travelling is very dangerous," she said.

"It was nothing," Holly said. She smiled a little, and avoided Artemis' gaze.

Artemis saw the well-hidden hurt in Holly's smile, and he suddenly felt a little sick. "Holly would come with me to the ends of the earth," he said, softly. Holly's lips quirked a little, but she didn't look at him. He'd never truly realized how much his lie must have hurt her – how would he have felt to learn that one of his best friends didn't trust him enough to count on his willful help?

"Oh…" Angeline sighed. "You two must have been through a lot over the years." The only response she received were weak, slightly flustered smiles from the two of them. Glancing at her son, she decided to be cruel. "Holly, I have to say – you have beautiful hair."

Holly didn't notice Artemis' eyes widen in alarm. Startled, but pleased, Holly gently touched the side of her head. "Thank you," she said, smiling.

"Is it your natural colour?" Angeline asked.

Holly nodded, laughing a little. "It is. I always hated it when I was a little girl."

"Did you? That always happens with redheaded children, but everyone wants red hair when they get a little older," Angeline chatted. "I've thought about dying my hair myself, but I don't know if it would work."

As Holly started musing on hair tones, Artemis realized with a breath of relief that his mother had forgotten about embarrassing him. As the minutes passed, Artemis tried to keep up with their conversation, but soon got bored and/or lost. It seemed human women and elfin women had a lot in common, and no male can ever keep up. Though he felt a tad left out, he couldn't help but feel relieved that his mother won't be quizzing them about their adventures. But that thought led to guilt over what he'd just convinced Holly to do…

When desert was finished, Artemis nudged the fairy beside him. "Holly," he said, softly. Holly started and turned away from Angeline. When Artemis gave her a pointed look, she responded with one that was annoyed and beseeching all at once. If Holly had had slight misgivings about this task before, now she was fully against it after the last forty minutes.

"Artemis? Holly? Is everything alright?" Angeline asked, aware that an exchange that had just taken place. She looked from her son to his friend, frowning.

"Everything's fine, Mother," Artemis replied, evenly. He gave Holly a hard look before getting up. "Excuse me. I just have some instructions for the wait staff." With that, he left the room.

Angeline looked to Holly for an explanation, obviously bewildered. "What was that all about?"

Holly turned to face her and sighed. "I'm so sorry," she said.

Angeline's eyebrows rose. "For what, dear?" she asked.

"Angeline," Holly said, catching the older woman's gaze and holding it. Her voice had grown unnaturally deeper and was layered with magic. "Your will is mine."

xXx

Artemis re-entered the dining room after telling the temporary wait staff that that would be all for the evening. He'd paid them, and they'd be gone from the premises shortly. He didn't want anyone around to witness what might happen if Opal were to show up on his front step with her newest death machine. Anyone.

Angeline was now chattering about how a spa week sounded like a lovely idea. Holly turned to frown disapprovingly at Artemis when he came in, and he pretended he didn't notice.

"Mother, you do deserve a vacation," Artemis encouraged. He walked around to her and helped her up. "In fact, I've already packed your bags, made reservations and booked a flight ticket to Sri Lanka."

"Oh! Sri Lanka!" Angeline exclaimed, excitedly.

"Sri Lanka?" Holly asked. "That war-torn island in the middle of nowhere?"

"A paradise just off the coast of India," Artemis corrected her. He took Angeline's arm. "I'll drive you to the airport, Mother. Come." As he led the woman away, he looked back at Holly. "Make yourself at home. I shouldn't be more than two hours or so."

Holly looked at him, curiously. "Where did you say I was staying?"

Artemis paused, and looked off to the side for a second. "The guest bedroom is down the hall from my study," he told her.

Holly narrowed her eyes a little, thinking. "What floor is that on?"

"Third," Artemis responded. "Why?"

Holly winced a little. "Artemis, we're two nights away from the full moon…"

Artemis stopped short and frowned. How could he have forgotten? He himself had found it hard to resist the moon's allure when he'd had a bit of magic in him. It would be ten times worse for Holly, a pure fairy, especially if she was above ground. "Holly…" he started.

"What's the hold up?" Angeline suddenly demanded.

Holly sighed. "Go on, Artemis. I'll figure something out and you can help when you get back."

"I'll see you in two hours," Artemis repeated, frowning. He left the room without another word, dragging Angeline along behind him.

xXxXxXxXx

Opal's hand was tightly curled around the acorn. "Is this a trick?" she asked. "Why would a captor willingly give her prisoner powers?"

Minerva smirked. "You're the magical creature and this is my humble abode." She gestured around her. "Either way, you must abide by my wishes while you're here. Speaking of which…" She looked Opal in the eyes. "You may not attack me in any way, shape or form. You may not attempt to leave this place. You will communicate and cooperate with me, in an honest effort to build a strong partnership."

Opal raised an eyebrow. "In an honest effort to build a strong partnership?" she repeated. Despite her qualms, she was intrigued. "A partnership to do what?"

"I want to make a mark on my world," Minerva replied. Her words were even and concise, but there was a passion in her tone. "I want a name, a reputation. I want influence and power. I want to be someone great – to go down in history with the rest of the rulers and conquerors of the world."

Opal slowly smiled at the small blonde before her. "The human world, you mean?"

Minerva shrugged, smiling slightly. "I doubt our worlds can stay separated for too long. It would be nice to be a household name in two worlds, instead of just one."

"You plan to make a mark on your world by colliding it with mine," Opal summed up.

Minerva smirked a little. "Would that be a problem to you?"

Opal mirrored Minerva's expression. "No."

xXxXx

Artemis returned to the manor and found it oddly silent. There was only he and Holly here now. As he shut the front door, he told himself that that was alright. Opal was hurt, and probably hadn't healed by now. Why bother worrying?

He almost called out Holly's name. He should worry about what was going to happen now – there was nothing to help procrastinate talking about their problems. He was working out what he could say to her, especially about what he'd just did. Holly hadn't been too keen on mesmerizing Angeline, but what did she expect? For him to leave a note to his mother if something were to happen? _'Mom. Gone out to save the world, and probably won't be back by dinner. – Artemis.'_

Artemis would have thought Holly might be in his study, collecting her luggage, but while he was lost in his thoughts, his feet had carried him to the basement door. It was shut, but there was a dim light coming from beneath it. Artemis almost groaned. Holly was _not_ down there… He pushed the door open and started walking down the steps.

Ever since the moon and other celestial movements started giving Artemis raging migraines and pulls toward Tara, he'd done everything possible to avoid it. Listening to music at its loudest volume in the library just didn't cut it. In a desperate measure, he'd had the basement completely finished so that it was more like a large bedroom, with its very own fireplace and sitting area. He slept down in it many nights after returning home from Limbo.

Holly had set the dimmer to light up the basement in a soft glow. There was a small fire going in the fireplace, to fight the late summer cold below ground.

Artemis gaze immediately found Holly, who was standing with her back to him, staring at a bookshelf, and his breath hitched. Of course, she'd be dressed for bed – it was almost 10:00. She was wearing a chocolate brown, spaghetti-strapped nightgown that fell to her knees, and a sheer overcoat of the same colour that fell to her ankles. Even in the dim light, he could tell that it went beautifully with her light brown skin and dark red hair (which was finally out of her ponytail). While the outfit was completely chaste, conservative even, and didn't cling to her curves like second skin, it… Caressed her. He gulped a little, his memory rewinding right back to that time she kissed him.

Fighting to focus, Artemis silently made his way across the room to sit down at an end of a big, three-cushion couch in front of the fire. "Holly?" he asked.

Holly started and turned around, immediately relaxing when she saw it was him. "Artemis, you should stop creeping up on people like that."

'Who's creeping?' Artemis wanted to ask, snidely. Instead, he only thought back to the first time he'd 'creeped up' on her in this room. Back then, his vision had been clouded by sunglasses and childishness. Actually, on second thought, he might have noticed how pretty she was back then, too… Holly didn't know that though.

The fairy was, at the moment, looking around the room with a small, indiscernible smile. "So this almost brings back a few fun memories," she murmured.

Artemis' lips twisted into a wry smile, and he crossed one leg over the other. If he was going to burn for his sins for the next hour or so, he might as well be comfortable while he did it. "Does it?" he asked, evenly. He suddenly saw that Holly's eyes were lingering on the queen-sized bed at the other side of the room.

"You got rid of my big, cold slab of metal," Holly observed, painfully casual.

Artemis winced a little. "Have I ever apologized?"

Holly raised her eyebrows. "For getting rid of the examination table?" she asked, cuttingly.

Artemis frowned for a second. "I walked right into that, didn't I?" he asked.

Holly smiled a little, and Artemis was glad to see that it was a pure smile, void of negative feelings behind it. "Yes," she responded.

Artemis decided that he was going to let his defenses down a bit. Just a little bit – Holly had earned that much from him, if not more. "It's hard to concentrate," he told her.

Holly looked genuinely curious and a little concerned. "Why?"

Artemis couldn't stop the words before they were out. "You're beautiful." Gods, he hoped he'd been looking at her face when he said that.

Holly's eyes widened, and she quickly glanced away in an effort to hide her slightly red cheeks. "You can't charm me into forgetting what you did."

Artemis pretended to think for a second, and gently patted the seat beside him. "Is there anything else I can give you to make you forget?"

Holly suddenly looked tired, even as she sat down beside him. "You choose the worst times to develop a sense of humour," she remarked.

Artemis smirked. "Do I?"

Holly frowned. "Be serious."

Artemis nodded, gulping a little. "Must we talk about this now?" he asked. "It's late. We've both had a long day."

Holly gave him an even look. "I've had a long day. You booked reservations."

"And packed."

"So we're just going to sleep now?" Holly asked, ignoring his last comment.

Artemis turned to her, with a look that was almost pleading. "I just need to know you're not angry."

Holly met his eyes, and hers were sad. "But, I am angry," she said, softly.

"Can we fix it?" Artemis asked. He smiled a little. "Are my elf-kissing days really over?"

Holly broke their eye contact. "What do you want, Arty?" she asked, sounding fatigued and stressed.

Artemis smiled a little, though it was as sad and tired as Holly's tone of voice. "Just give me a hug and a kiss goodnight, then."

Holly smiled a little, and planted a chaste kiss on Artemis' cheek. Then she lowered her head to his shoulder, feeling safe and secure when she felt his arms encircle her waist. That's how she fell asleep.

End of Ch. 2

xXxXxXx

A/n

Too tired to talk to y'all…. 2.47am.

Just review.

Luv

Creatress


	4. Business and Ethics

Disclaimer- All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

xXxXxXx

Author's Note:

Here's chapter 3. I think you'll find that it becomes obvious quickly that Art and Holly can never have a good moment that lasts. ;P

Luv

Creatress

xXxXxXxXx

Chapter 3

Opal sat still for a second, staring at her fingers. She could feel the magic pulsing through her, and she suddenly felt calm and could think more clearly. She almost smiled, but, instead, she pulled her lips back into a frown before meeting the eyes of the girl before her. "How did you find me? How did you know about my world?"

Minerva quirked a shoulder, and then smirked, dryly. "It's a long story."

"I have time," Opal responded, narrowing her eyes. She smiled, thinly. "I can't attack you and I must make an honest effort to build a partnership, but I'll warn you now - I'm not an easy woman to please. Make your case right now – tell me _everything_. Or set me free."

Minerva frowned a little, obviously annoyed by these last statements. "Somehow, I doubt striking a deal with you, of all people, is that difficult. You see, Opal, I know everything. I know everything about you and where you've been for the last few years. You aren't in a position to be making demands – being public enemy number one and all."

Opal stopped short. She searched Minerva's eyes, trying to figure out if the girl was bluffing. But the blonde sat still and strong. "What?" she finally asked, at a loss.

Minerva smiled then. It was an amused little smile, but there was a hint of bitterness in it as well. "Opal, I'll admit, I didn't plan on capturing _you_." Her brown eyes flashed. "I never have that kind of luck."

Opal scowled. "Stop speaking in riddles!" she snapped. "Who in Fronds name are you?!"

"I am an old friend of Artemis Fowl." Minerva smirked when Opal stopped short and bristled. "You've met him?" she asked, airily.

Opal rose from the armchair she'd been sitting in and glared icily down at the human. "I will have nothing to do with anyone who is with Fowl."

Minerva inhaled a little, and looked apologetic when she met Opal's eyes. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't make light of your past with Fowl. Please sit down and I'll tell you everything from the beginning." Opal only narrowed her eyes, suspiciously. "_Please_, Opal."

Opal only lowered herself back onto the armchair because she knew that if she didn't, the girl would just order her to sit down. She wouldn't be reduced to being ordered around by a human. "Tell me everything," she hissed.

Minerva nodded. "About four years ago, I discovered the existence of demons and their lost island, Hybras."

Opal frowned. "That was in the news," she said. "Fowl and Short - " She stopped, noticing Minerva bristle at the mention of Holly Short's name. She mentally filed that away for later. "Fowl and Short traveled there."

"I managed to capture the demon, No 1," Minerva continued. She turned to stare into the fireplace. "But he was taken from me by Fowl. He and the LEP believe that our species should not be mingled. I couldn't tell anyone about my discovery, especially after Fowl kidnapped my demon and the Captain - " Minerva's lip curled a little here. Opal noticed that she didn't say Holly Short's name. " – destroyed all of my files and research."

Opal felt something stir at the bottom of her chest. She suddenly remembered all the times she'd lost labs, research, etc., etc., because of Fowl. It was such a feeling of loss, a feeling of torture. Fowl didn't realize the kind of mental torment he inflicted on her every time he did such a thing.

"In the chaos, I managed to come onto good terms with Fowl and his company. But then they disappeared to Hybras… Fowl and Short were away for three years," Minerva said. "In that time, I befriended Fowl's bodyguard, Butler. Since I'd already known about your underground world, he told me all about their adventures over the years."

Opal's eyebrow rose. "He told you about me?"

Minerva smirked, turning back to the pixie. "He told me everything." Her eyes flicked over the older woman. "What are the chances, Opal? I go out to capture a fairy, and instead, I end up with one of the greatest minds of the underground. And to add icing to the cake, it's another enemy of Artemis Fowl."

Opal smirked, rather dangerously. "How fortunate," was all she said.

Minerva continued, turning back to the fire, obviously reminiscing. "I started visiting Mr. and Mrs. Fowl at the manor. You know, to offer my condolences about Fowl going missing. It was easy to slip away from the gatherings, break into Artemis' room and get into his computers." She chuckled a little. "Butler knows Artemis better than anyone, it seems. It was devastatingly easy to guess a few of his passwords. It made him so…" Minerva trailed off, silent for a second. Opal only watched the blonde with a mixture of curiosity and fascination. "In any case, I managed to retrieve his copy of the Book. And all the other information he had on your world."

Opal suddenly laughed out loud, but the sound was empty and disbelieving. "I would never have thought it possible," she said.

Opal's eyes were dancing with something indefinable when Minerva turned to look at her. "I can have a laptop sent down later, with all the information," she offered.

"What now, girl?" Opal suddenly asked. Her dark chocolate gaze was narrowed and piercing. "What do you want to do? How exactly do you want to make a mark on our worlds?"

Minerva shrugged. "Obviously, I want to prove the existence of fairies to humans," she said, rather flippantly. "However, there are a few problems with that. Firstly, the LEP and the Council won't be happy."

Opal smirked. "Actually, they would be. If I were running them." She paused, thinking. "However, taking over Haven would be difficult with Artemis Fowl and Holly Short running around playing Papa and Mama Bear. They've…" She trailed off, her lip curling into a sneer. "Tangled in my plans before, as you know."

Minerva played with one of her long curls, thinking. "No matter which way one looks at it, nothing can be done before Artemis Fowl is rendered powerless." Her tone was flat and cold.

Opal studied the young girl before her, her eyes trailing along the strands of hair that were curling around her finger. And then, she slowly started to smile. "Minerva… I've known you for about half an hour, and already I can make a few things out about you." When Minerva turned to her, looking curious, she continued, delightedly. "You pretend to be so uncaring about Fowl. As if you only bother about him because he's standing in your way. But there's more, isn't there? You don't want him rendered powerless – you want absolute revenge. You want to destroy Artemis Fowl."

Minerva quickly turned back to the fire. "You know what it feels like to pour your heart and soul into something and have it destroyed in half a second. He stopped me, as he had stopped you." Her tone was still as even as ever, but Opal still noted Minerva's index finger, which was tugging even more fervently on her hair.

However, Opal chose not to comment on any of this. "Artemis' main strength is his intelligence," she said. "Short of a brain transplant after we capture him, there's nothing that can be done about that. He can't be captured until all the people around him are taken down."

"Hmm," Minerva mumbled, obviously not knowing what to say.

Opal made a decision. "Fine. I shall enter a partnership with you."

Minerva turned to Opal, startled. "Really?" she asked, incredulously.

Opal smiled, coldly. "We'll see how it goes," she said. "However, in honour of it, I'll let you choose who we take away from Artemis Fowl first." She raised an eyebrow. "Well, Minerva? Who do you want?"

Minerva didn't need to ponder this question for long. Almost immediately, her brown eyes grew hard.

"I want Holly Short."

xXxXxXx

"Holly? Wake up, Holly. Come on, I can't stand here playing alarm clock all day!"

Holly moaned a little in her sleep, only to roll over and press her face into the pillow, completely oblivious of the centaur, who was neighing impatiently on the monitor against the wall.

Foaly scowled a little. "Fine, be that way," he muttered. He shifted his gaze from the bed to the sofa in front of the fire, where Artemis was also asleep. "Oi! Mud Boy! Rise and shine!" Artemis didn't even budge. "Alright, people, you asked for it," the centaur muttered. With a few taps on his keyboard, every electric gadget in the basement lit up, including the television, the alarm clock and the stereo. Within seconds, all of them simultaneously blasted noise at the highest volume, effectively waking up Artemis and Holly who scrambled up, wide-eyed and alert. "Finally…" He turned everything down again.

Holly's eyes immediately zeroed in on the centaur. "Foaly! D'Arvit! What were you…?"

Holly was cut short by the basement door blasting open. Butler appeared at the bottom of the stairs a second later, looking like he'd been awake for a while, in his crisp, dark suit. "What was that? I heard…" He trailed off, incredulously and looked around.

Artemis scowled, getting up from the couch. Though he was just getting up, his hair was barely tousled. His white shirt was a tad wrinkled though. After he'd moved Holly to the bed, he'd just stripped himself of his shoes and jacket before lying down on the couch to sulk tiredly, and then subsequently fall asleep. "Apparently, Foaly has some urgent news," he stated. Then he paused. "Welcome back, Butler," he added, casually.

"Butler!" Holly exclaimed, smiling widely. "If I wasn't so tired, I'd get up and give you a hug."

Butler grinned. "I ran back as soon as Artemis told me what was happening."

"I hate to put a damper on things, but there's nothing to be smiling about," Foaly suddenly spoke up. When he had his three friends' undivided attention, he continued. "We've found Opal's prison jacket a few miles away from the prison, but just this morning, we've discovered a piece of the cloth – the rim of the pants – at Tara. It's possible that she might have done the Ritual. If so, she'd be quite healthy and running high on magic at the moment. We're assuming the worst."

Artemis felt Butler and Holly's eyes on him. He frowned for a second, thinking. "Can she have done the Ritual? It's still possible for her to do it, even after making herself more and more human over the years?"

"We're assuming the worst," Foaly repeated. "But that's not all." The monitor became a split screen. In one half, Foaly narrated what was happening on the other side of the screen – security cameras from Tara. "This is approximately 3:30AM last night. I was off duty, and those buggers on Security didn't bother calling me or informing you. Watch…" As soon as he said it, the picture collapsed, becoming taken over by dead air. "All the cameras just went ballistic and died for a full fifteen minutes," Foaly said. "Then they just came back on. Now, I _doubt_ that this was a mere coincidence."

"You don't think Opal did it?" Holly asked. "How could she have taken out the cameras _before_ doing the Ritual?"

"Perhaps she had someone else do it for her?" Butler mused. "She always has an easy time finding allies, doesn't she?"

Artemis was examining the dead air on the one half of the screen. "Are you always monitoring Tara?" he asked, curiously.

Foaly snorted. "Ever since you came along; yes. Yes, we are." He paused and seemed to examine them for a second. "When did you renovate the basement? It looks nice."

Artemis head throbbed painfully for a second. "Thank you, Foaly," he said, neutrally. He frowned, bringing his mind back to the situation. "What about the surrounding areas?"

"The cameras on the surrounding areas might as well have been dead, too, for all the information they provided. Nothing came up. No Opal, no nothing."

Artemis frowned a little. 'No nothing.' Terrible grammar. But he didn't say anything about that. "I assume the LEP is already running check-ups on all of Opal's known sympathizers?"

"Yes, Master Fowl. We're not all complete morons here," Foaly answered, a little indignant.

Artemis smirked. "Prove it, centaur," he said.

"Artemis…" Holly suddenly said, a warning in her voice.

"Holly," Artemis returned, flippantly. He frowned then. "We don't have much to go on, so we'll have to get… _Creative_… About it."

Holly scowled a little. "Creative would be the Fowlesque euphemism for illegal."

Artemis smirked sideways at her. "I think it's worth it, to stop Opal." Holly didn't react, but she didn't verbally disagree with him either as she turned away from him. Considering that a victory, Artemis turned to raise an eyebrow at Foaly. "Up for some hacking?"

Foaly's eyebrows furrowed. "What are you saying?"

Artemis nodded. "Opal has lost her labs, her supplies, assistants – everything. In order to get back into power, she'll need all of those things and whoever's taking care of her will have to buy it. Check everyone's banking transactions and look out for a huge amount of extravagant purchases of lab equipment. That should help narrow it down."

Holly frowned. "What happens if Opal's with someone who already has a lab?"

Artemis smiled, shrewdly. "Then, we'll have to get even more creative."

Holly sighed, getting up from the bed and readjusting her robe. A small part of her noted that Artemis had left it on. Of course, he did. Why wouldn't he? Holly forced her thoughts away from the subject. "While you have your hacking fun," she said. "I'd like to go to Tara. Maybe there's something the LEP missed."

Artemis nodded at her and turned to Foaly. "Give me a few minutes. I'll meet you in my study." When Foaly nodded and the monitor went blank, he started walking toward Butler. "Let's leave Holly to get dressed," he said.

"Please do," Holly said, tersely from the other side of the room. She got an apologetic smile from Butler and hardly a glance from Artemis as they left the room.

When Holly heard the basement door softly close upstairs, she went to her suitcase that she'd left lying on the floor a few feet away from the bed. She quickly found her towel, and went to the basement's washroom to take a shower and freshen up.

She stepped into the shower, slightly stiffening as the cool water hit her. However, it turned warm quickly and she relaxed, starting to think about what had happened last night and this morning. Artemis was slowly driving her insane – one moment, he was ready to talk about what had happened and try to fix their relationship. But right before that special moment and right after it, he's the same cold, manipulative jerk that he was when he had been performing illegal ventures years ago. Hypnotize his mother into leaving for Sri Lanka and inviting her husband and two youngest children along, too? How much safer could they be in a war-torn country than here in the Manor with her and Butler to protect them? And now, he's fine with hacking into people's bank accounts.

Holly could admit it – it was a reasonable way to find someone Opal might be with. But his easy order to Foaly hadn't settled well with her. Somehow, his calmness in dealing illegally with other people's money reminded her of how he'd held her for ransom all those years ago. She shivered a little, even though the water was still as warm as ever.

Holly got out of the shower, and quickly dried off. She pulled on a figure-hugging white sweater and dark blue denim pants. She'd just finished putting her socks on when a knock sounded at the door. "Come in!" she called, absent-mindedly, reaching for her boots.

"Shall I drive you to Tara?" Holly looked up, surprised. Artemis was standing only a few feet away from her, his cold eyes unreadable. Obviously, he'd just gotten dressed, too. Now, he was as neat and immaculate as ever. "Butler will stay here to look after the manor, and Foaly's still… In Phase 1 of our plan."

Holly's eyebrows rose at Artemis' choice of words. "That's fine," she said, smiling thinly. "I have my wings."

"Be back as soon as you can," Artemis said, lowly.

Holly suddenly thought that she didn't care for Artemis' commanding tone of voice. But, she brushed it off. Opal was on the loose – he was probably just trying to keep everything organized and in order. "I will," she responded, impartially. She got up and momentarily got up on her toes to peck his cheek before turning to walk to the closet.

"Ethics are a complicated thing."

Holly stopped short. "I'm sorry. What was that?" she asked, turning back to face him.

Artemis met her eyes. "Ethics. They're complicated," he said.

Holly scowled a little at his casual tone of voice. He was trying to make a point. She got that, but refused to show it. "I disagree."

"Oh?"

Now, Holly could hear the amusement in his voice and, for some reason, it rubbed her the wrong way. She didn't answer him. She only turned back around to walk to a closet where she'd hung up her coat.

"Speeding is illegal," Artemis continued. Almost lazily, he sauntered up to the bookcase that Holly had been examining the night before. "However, it would be tad off to obey the speeding laws if someone was hurt and dying in your backseat. In those cases, it would be ethical to break the rules." He glanced toward the redhead at the other side of the room. She was pulling on a thigh-length black coat. "Of course, you know all about that, Captain. It's not like you've always followed the book on the LEP."

When Holly turned to Artemis, her eyes were cold. "There's a difference between bending the rules to do a good thing and outright breaking the law to suit your own selfish needs!" she snapped.

"Capturing Opal is serving myself?" Artemis asked, cuttingly.

Holly gulped. "No. I never said it was. I was referring to…" She trailed off, unable to bring up the whole kidnapping fiasco, and then tried again. "I see how your analogy about speeding someone to the hospital pertains to what you just told Foaly to do. But, why can't you have at least _some_ level of uncertainty about breaking the law again?"

Artemis actually seemed to think about this for a second. "I suppose that's just not the person I am," he answered. He looked up at looked at her emotionlessly. "Old habits die hard."

"Ethics aren't complicated, Artemis. You do the right thing. That's all there is to it." Holly started walking toward the staircase that led out of the basement. She was at the bottom of it when Artemis spoke again.

"And what if my definition of right is different from yours?"

Holly frowned, but didn't turn to look at him. "Then it would be really hard to maintain a friendship," she stated. She started walk quickly up the stairs. "Let alone build a romantic relationship on top of it."

End of Ch. 3

xXxXx

A/n

So who thinks Holly will be captured next chapter?

REVIEW!

Luv

Creatress


	5. My Queen Takes Your Queen

Disclaimer- All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

xXxXxXx

Author's Note:

Here's chapter 4. It's full of surprises. (headdesk)

Luv

Creatress

xXxXxXxXx

Chapter 4

My Queen Takes Your Queen

Artemis must have spent a good ten minutes in the basement after Holly left, pondering her words. Why could nothing stay stable between them for long? Last night, everything was fine, and now… He scowled. If there was anyone to blame, it was Opal. If it wasn't for her, he'd never have had to tell Foaly to hack into people's bank accounts, and Holly wouldn't have built another grudge against him.

Artemis was interrupted from his thoughts by a knock at the door. "Come in," he called.

"Artemis?" Butler stood in the doorway, frowning. "Miss Paradizo is here."

Artemis furrowed his eyebrows. Minerva usually called before coming over. "Did she say anything?" he asked.

"No. She didn't say anything. I assumed that she'd called you," Butler responded. This was quite a sentence coming from the bodyguard – Domovoi Butler never assumed anything. He studied Artemis' expression. "I take it this is a surprise visit?"

Artemis smiled, thinly. "Send her to the living room. Warn Foaly not to show up on any of the monitors there." Butler hesitated for a second, and Artemis caught it. "No, Butler, we will not be telling Minerva about the Opal situation."

Butler nodded before he left. It was understandable. Minerva had no interactions with the People, even though she knew the gist of their adventures. After Artemis and Holly had disappeared to Hybras, it took well over a year for Butler to convince the blonde that Holly was a fairy and not a demoness. Still, whenever Minerva asked about Holly, there was an air about her that clearly told the bodyguard she still hadn't accepted Butler's arguments for the fairy. Also, it would be worse than just petty quarrels between the two women – the People would not appreciate having their existence given away to a Mud Woman like Minerva who would like to reveal them to the whole world.

After Butler disappeared, Artemis frowned, looking around the room. It had already changed since Holly had been here, and all she'd done was set a suitcase in the corner out of the way, and thrown her nightgown down at the foot of the mattress. Yet these little touches made the room warmer, more welcoming. Artemis sighed, running a hand through his midnight black hair, wondering if Holly would do a quick check and return as soon as possible like he told her to, or if she'd fly around, enjoying the scenery. He frowned, pushing the question from his head and turned to leave the basement.

xXxXx

Minerva stood in the Fowl Manor parlour, pretending to be interested in a work of art that was hanging above the fireplace. Her calm exterior showed none of the inner nervousness she felt inside, and she almost reached up to finger her new necklace. From a thin golden chain, hung a small black opal that glinted in various colours when hit with light. However, it was more than just a lovely piece of jewelry – the opal had been dug out and altered, and now housed a small camera inside it. It was warm against Minerva's skin. Opal was watching everything that went on with it, from all the way back at Minerva's second home at the south of Tara.

"Minerva!"

Minerva turned around, breaking into a smile. "Hello, Artemis," she said, giving the other genius a quick onceover. He was smiling welcomingly at her, but one eyebrow was quirked up a little.

"This is a surprise," Artemis said. "I wasn't expecting you."

Minerva nodded. "I'm sorry about dropping in unannounced," she responded, making sure her body was facing him. She wanted to give Opal a good feed. "Am I interrupting something?" she asked, curiously. She was testing Artemis – would he tell her about his worst enemy breaking out of prison? She doubted it.

Artemis smirked a little. "No, nothing at all," he answered. "Was there something you wanted to talk about?"

Minerva quirked a shoulder. "Nothing in particular," she responded. "How are you?"

Artemis chuckled, wryly. "At least I have my health," he said.

Minerva raised her eyebrows, wondering if she'd been wrong. "What does that mean?"

"It means I'm just a little behind on my work," Artemis said, airily.

Ah. A subtle suggestion that she should leave. Minerva ignored it, frowning. "Artemis, you looked worried," she said, stepping up to him. Before he could respond, she pretended to study his face closer. Test number 2, Artemis Fowl. "How's Holly?"

Artemis stopped short. "Holly?" he repeated. He frowned. "Why do you ask?"

Minerva chuckled, and to everyone's ears but her own, the laugh was dry. "I'm a girl. I can sense when people are having relationship issues."

A look of mild annoyance crossed Artemis' face. "Now, Minerva," he said, rather patronizingly. "You know there's no evidence to support the claim that females are more intuitive of… Relationship issues."

Minerva cocked her head a little, her curiosity piqued. "What you did _not_ say just now was that you don't have problems," she stated. She bulldozed ahead for information, unwilling to let Artemis have a chance to deny the suspicion. She sighed a little. "Tell me, Artemis. Perhaps I can help." She watched as Artemis opened his mouth to protest, only to stop and lower his icy gaze to the floor. Ah, she'd touched a nerve. Even Artemis Fowl had a weak spot.

Artemis shrugged, frowning at the carpet. "It just seems that we can't go a day or two without having a fight," he suddenly admitted, bringing a hand up to brush some of his hair back.

Minerva almost smirked. "Every doctor says that fights are part of a healthy relationship," she recited. "What do you fight about?"

Artemis shook his head. "Not if they occur as often as ours," he muttered. "We fight…" He trailed off, unable to find an answer. "There's just a few things we don't see eye to eye on. Usually, it's okay. When it's just the two of us, we forget these issues, but during times like these…"

"During times like these?" Minerva repeated when Artemis stopped speaking. "What's happening now? Is something wrong?" She had decided to be nice. She was giving him another chance to save what was left of their friendship.

Artemis quickly brushed the question to the side. "Holly just decided to take a vacation during busy season," he answered, stoically.

Minerva frowned. "Busy season?" she inquired, pretending to sound dubious. Of course, the LEP would have every officer out looking for Opal. It must be highly irritating for them that their best captain decided to take a break at a time like this. Minerva stopped short and frowned. 'Why would Holly Short go on a vacation while Opal was running loose?'

Artemis shrugged. "They could always use Holly at her work," he responded, vaguely. "But I need her here."

Ah. That's why. Minerva inwardly grinned in triumph. There's a bit of valuable information they hadn't had before. Captain Holly Short had ditched the LEP to stand by Artemis in this pixie hunt. "Holly's here?" she asked, surprised. She forced a soft smile onto her face. "Is she up? I should say hi. I haven't seen her since…" She stopped and pretended to wince a little. "I haven't had a proper chance to apologize to her either. About the whole Number 1 incident."

Artemis smiled, wryly. "Holly's not here right now," he said. "She just flew out for a bit."

Holly Short was not at the manor. All the fairies would be underground, and Artemis and Butler were at the manor. Holly Short was all alone. Minerva suddenly thought that Opal must have had the same realization when she felt her necklace become a bit warmer. "Where did she go?" Minerva asked, hoping she sounded casual.

"I'm not sure." Artemis lightly waved a hand, deeming the question unimportant. If he'd noticed Minerva look at him with a deadpanned expression for the millisecond that she did, he would have realized that the blonde knew that he was well aware of where his friend had went. "Some place she likes."

Minerva resisted the urge to rub at the skin beneath her opal pendant. The heat was starting to cause her some discomfort. To distract herself, she asked Artemis another question. "When did she leave?"

"Just a few minutes ago," Artemis responded, shrugging.

"A few minutes ago? Did you fight before she left?"

Artemis rubbed at his temple again. "It was a… A tense situation."

Minerva thought she should ask Artemis to elaborate, but suddenly a sound emanated from her purse. The blonde quickly retrieved her smart phone – Opal had sent her a message. There was an attachment, but Opal had only texted her two words and an acronym. 'FIND ME ASAP.'

Minerva looked up at Artemis, who was staring at her expectantly. "I must leave," she said, sighing a little. "There's been an emergency and a friend needs me." She gestured toward her phone whilst taking a few steps toward the parlour entrance. "It sounds dire…"

Artemis quickly followed. "Don't worry. It's fine. I'll walk you to the front door."

xXxXxXx

"I know you can go faster, you buffoon!" Opal snapped at the driver.

The driver, Colin Warner, was fresh out of Juan Soto's bodyguard school. One of the major parts of the job was to do as you were told, no matter how crazy the order was. Yesterday, he'd been ordered by the blonde French girl to keep a sharp eye on their prisoner. Halfway through the night, his orders had been changed – the woman who'd been their hostage a few hours ago was now to be obeyed. Today, their hostage-come-boss was ordered him repeatedly to drive faster to a place she hadn't yet told him the name of. And Warner was too afraid to ask.

"Stop!" Opal suddenly ordered. Warner screeched to a halt, realizing with a start that this was where the woman beside him was captured just yesterday. However, before he could do anything, the pixie was out and running.

Opal sprinted through the wooded area, slowing only when she reached the holy site of Tara. She leant against a tree, staking her surroundings, looking for signs of the fairy. As her eyes scanned the area, they were momentarily blinded by something. Opal ducked a little before looking in the direction again. Something was reflecting the early morning sunlight into her eyes. She squinted, and then slowly smiled when she realized what it was.

Holly had left her wings slung over the low branch of a tree.

Opal started moving closer to the wings, intent on hiding herself and catching Holly when the other woman returned for the gadget. The pixie frowned a little as she started walking, though. The thin heels of her high leather boots were sinking into the soft earth of Tara. Hopefully, she could get Holly in a single blow and a fight wouldn't ensure. As stylish as her boots were, they'd present a major disadvantage in a physical fight.

Opal concealed herself behind a large elm tree, and waited patiently for more than five minutes. Finally, she heard the gentle sounds of Holly's footsteps. Opal's lips drew back into a victorious smile. 'Here, fairy, fairy, fairy…' Years of yoga had done her good. Ever so slowly and smoothly, she looked out from her hiding place.

Holly looked decidedly sullen as she neared the yew where she'd hung her wings. She was so lost in her frustration that she didn't sense a presence behind her until it was too late. One scissor kick to her small head, and Holly let out a cry, falling to the ground. Her eyes shot open once in surprise, before she blinked, her magic trying to clear away the blurriness that the blow had caused.

"Hello, Holly. It's been too long," Opal couldn't resist saying. She stepped forward and kicked the fairy in her stomach.

The second kick flung Holly onto her back. Even as she held her aching stomach, Holly wryly thought that the only thing she admired about Opal was her fashion sense. Knowing Opal, the boots were stylish – apparently, they were also practical in that they could cause serious damage. By sheer force of will, Holly repressed the pain. She needed to fight back – she'd been stupid to come out here without a weapon. She looked up and saw in alarm that Opal was holding out a hand, her palm facing Holly. The fairy managed to duck out of the way a second before Opal shot a pale blue jet of damaging magic at her. The beam burned the grass it hit.

Opal scowled at Holly, who was rising, albeit tremblingly, to her knees. She raised her hand again. "Come on, Holly; take your medicine like a good little fairy."

Holly only ducked out of the way again and the beam hit a tree. She managed to smirk through her pain. "A little rough after so many years without practice?" she asked, mockingly.

Opal's only response was to start firing beam after beam of destructive magic. Barks burned, branches snapped and grass caught fire, but Holly kept ducking out of the way. Defense was the only thing available to her – she wasn't in uniform and she had no weapon. Scowling at Holly's dodging skills, Opal stopped firing for a second.

Holly stopped short, and faced Opal. The fairy glared at Opal, and opened her mouth to say something. But all of a sudden, Holly's mouth went slack and eyes drooped. A second later, she crumbled to the ground to reveal Juan Soto who was pointing a dart-shooting gun at her.

Beside the bodyguard was a smug-looking Minerva. The human barely glanced at the redhead on the ground and instead, met Opal's gaze with the same smug smile. "I found you," she cooed, softly, stepping over Holly to walk up to Opal.

"And now I'm It?" Opal smirked. "What took you so long?"

Minerva chuckled a little, and then glanced at the unconscious figure of Holly Short on the ground. She clucked her tongue a little. "Aww, you shouldn't have," she breathed, the way someone does after receiving an especially remarkable present. Opal only smirked at the comment. "Juan, throw her into the trunk. We need to get back to the cottage."

"Yes, Ma'am," Soto said, picking Holly up and throwing her over his shoulder.

Minerva and Opal watched Soto leave for a few second. Then, Minerva turned and looked over the pixie, who stood only about two inches taller than her in the heels. The blonde's gaze travelled to Opal's feet. "Nice boots," she remarked with a slight smile before turning to follow Juan Soto.

Opal watched Minerva walk away for a second, her head high as her blonde curls bounced around her shoulders and back, and the pixie slowly smiled. Opal never grew fond of anyone quickly, but she'd never before met anyone like Minerva. The girl was smart, beautiful and ambitious; just like herself. Opal glanced down at her boots. She was really starting to like this girl.

xXxXxXx

Artemis managed to kill time by helping Foaly with the hacking. Between the two of them, they managed to inspect 35 of Haven's bank records before they were interrupted. Butler, who had been multitasking between monitoring the cameras, strengthening security and cooking lunch, knocked once on Artemis' study door before sticking his head in.

"It's 12:30PM," Butler announced. He stepped inside, holding a tray. "You need to eat something, Artemis."

Artemis sat up suddenly in his leather swivel chair, his eyes narrowing. "12:30?" he repeated. He checked the clock on the wall, and then his Rolex, as if double checking to make sure Butler was telling the truth.

"Is there a problem?" Foaly asked. His voice was a little blurry. He'd been fully focused on the work, just as Artemis had. When one worked so passionately on something, it was easy to lose track of everything else.

Artemis stood, frowning. His heart was starting to race. Holly hadn't returned. If she had, she would have visited him. He suddenly swallowed. Maybe their earlier argument had caused her to hole herself up in the basement… But that was so unlike her. She would have come to see him if only to yell at him. "Holly hasn't returned," he stated.

Butler and Foaly straightened. Butler looked out Artemis window before glancing at Foaly and Artemis. "I didn't catch her on any of the monitors. I was so busy hamming up the security, I didn't…"

"None of us noticed," Artemis suddenly said. He sounded angry with himself. "Dammit." He turned to Foaly. "She doesn't have a helmet, but she has a cell phone. Call her!" he barked.

Foaly was already trying to reach Holly's phone. After a few seconds, he adjusted his headset. "Dead," he said. "Her cell phone's dead." He typed something in. "I'm looking for her at Tar – you've got to be kidding me!" he suddenly exclaimed, his jaw dropping.

"What is it, Foaly?!" Artemis loudly demanded. He could feel blood pounding up to his head. Artemis wasn't a man who usually went on instincts, but he knew – just _knew_ – that something was wrong.

Foaly sounded panicked and disbelieving. "The cameras are out at Tara again. I'm just getting static here."

Butler looked bewildered. "What about her wings?"

Foaly shook his head, obviously as scared as the manservant. "They're dead, too. I can't find anything anywhere." After a few futile attempts to get the cameras working, things took a turn for the worst when the he suddenly lost the static, too. He threw up his hands, almost in surrender. "What in Fronds name - ?!" Defeated, he glanced at Butler, and together, they both turned to their leader.

Artemis Fowl had sat back down in his chair, holding his forehead as he thought. Dozens of plans of action and hundreds of ideas swirled in his head, trying to fit together to form a plot that made sense. They were all centered around one thought that kept repeating in his mind – Holly was gone.

xXxXxXx

A/n

Chalk up a point for Opal and Minerva. Though I'd watch my step – Artemis and Holly aren't going to be very happy in the next chapter.

Review, please!

Luv

Creatress


	6. The Comfort in the Ice

Disclaimer- All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

xXxXxXxXx

Author's Note:

Hey all. Sorry this chapter's a little short. Promise to have the next one out soon to make up for it.

Luv

Creatress

xXxXxXxXx

Chapter 5

The Comfort in the Ice

Holly groaned as she opened her eyes. Her vision blurred for a second, and the crown of her head pounded briefly before a bit of magic healed it. She quickly realized that she was sitting in a chair, her hands tied behind her back. She glanced behind her, and saw that they were handcuffed together. Someone had removed her jacket and boots. Gulping, she looked around. The room was empty save for her and her chair. There was no window. Only a dark brown carpeted floor, white walls and a door.

Holly blinked for a second, and then suddenly remembered everything. Opal! She straightened in her chair, and looked at the handcuffs again, this time checking carefully for weak spots in them. She had to get out of here. The fairy pulled at the handcuffs, twisting them as much as she could, looking for thin metal, a loose screw, _anything_… Her attention quickly left the cuffs though, when the doorknob turned.

Holly looked at the door, gulping slightly, wondering what would come. Worst possible scenarios ran through her mind. Opal torturing her, Opal doing mad experiments on her, Opal _killing_ her… When the door swung open, Holly was thrown. She hesitated for a second, wondering if Opal's kick to her head had caused more damage than she'd originally thought it had. "Minerva?" she asked, disbelievingly.

Minerva stepped into the room, gently closing the door behind her. She was wearing shades and a lab coat. She looked into the fairy's eyes. "While you are in my dwelling, you will not use the Mesmer on anyone here." She pulled the glasses off and smiled mirthlessly. "Holly. Just the woman I was hoping never to see again." Her eyes trailed along Holly's auburn coloured hair. It came in neat, straight strands to the bottom of her chin. "You have nice hair, Holly. It's grown since the last time we met."

This casual comment snapped the fairy out of her shock. Holly stared at the blonde for a second, confusion clearly evident in her narrowed mismatched eyes. "What is going on here?" she asked.

"I know you're no genius, Holly, but this isn't rocket science." Minerva slightly gestured around her. "What does it look like?"

Holly scowled. She'd always found Minerva particularly annoying, but certainly never to this extent. "Where's Opal?!" she demanded.

Minerva's eyebrows rose. "What? You would rather speak to her?"

Holly gasped for a second, wondering if she was dreaming. Then she tried taking a closer look at Minerva's irises, wondering if the girl before her had been mesmerized by the pixie. When Minerva appeared normal, she scowled, even though her heart was racing at this development. She could hardly believe it, even though the evidence was standing in front of her. Minerva Paradizo and Opal Koboi were working together. "Don't give me your attitude, Paradizo! Let me go!"

Minerva frowned a little at Holly's outburst. "My dwelling. I give the orders."

Holly gulped a little. "Why did you kidnap me?" she finally asked, slowly.

Minerva quirked a shoulder. "Opal and I have decided that our worlds must mingle. And when they do, we want to be in charge. We want the credit for uniting two races that have been separated for _far_ too long." She smirked a little. "So, you see, Holly – it's a good thing, what we're doing."

Holly scowled. "That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard!" she exclaimed. She took some satisfaction in the indignant look that flashed across the blonde's face then. "For two people who claim to be so damn smart, how could you be dim-witted?!"

Minerva rolled her eyes before creating a W with the fingers on her left hand. "Whatever," she said, flippantly.

Holly suddenly thought that was incredibly annoying and childish. She tugged at her handcuffs again, slightly growling with the effort. "The People would never agree to this! Opal is a criminal – she's a murderer."

"Quite the contrary. After we reveal the fairies, the human world will come to us for knowledge on you lot," Minerva explained. "If Opal chooses to reveal her ancestry, that's her choice. Either way, we'll have all the information that everybody will need. Mankind will do whatever we say – knowledge is power. And we're the only ones with it."

"What about Haven?!" Holly snapped. "You must not have heard me – they'll never go for this."

"People will do whatever they're told when they're scared!" Minerva snapped back, her voice rising. She paused, and gulped a little before she continued. She gave Holly a little smile that was half-catty and half victorious. "We've looked over the Book and Haven Law. With our plan in place, Opal will be a free pixie."

Holly glared at the blonde, slightly wondering at her first words. 'People will do whatever they're told when they're scared.' She gulped, biting back the questions she wanted to ask. Minerva would never tell her – so it was best to let the other girl believe Holly missed it. "And where does kidnapping me fit into all of this?!" she demanded. "I suppose I'm going to be Exhibit 1 at the Nobels."

Minerva ran her eyes over the tied up elf. "You know what, Holly? That's actually a very good idea," she said, nodding. She paused a little. "However, that's not why Opal and I captured you."

Holly inwardly gulped, suddenly noticing her throat had run dry. "Please," she said, her voice heavy with sarcasm. "Enlighten me."

Minerva smirked, dryly. "For all of our plans to unveil the fairy world to the humans… As you yourself should be able to guess, we thought of a problem that might arise."

Holly didn't have to think about this for long. "Artemis," she breathed.

Minerva nodded. "Exactly. Artemis Fowl would never allow us to do this. Especially with his history with Opal. So we had to figure out a way to effectively silence him."

Holly narrowed her eyes at the blonde. "How would kidnapping me silence Artemis?" she asked. She swallowed again, wondering what these two psychotic women were planning. "Why not just go for Artemis?"

Minerva shrugged a little. "It's all in the strategy," she said, casually. "Artemis is too hard to capture. There are too many people surrounding him. We decided the best thing to do would be to go after someone who's important and useful to him. Butler's a fighter – but he'd be useless in a magical situation. Foaly? Opal just laughed." Minerva narrowed her eyes a little, almost thoughtfully. "You, however. You can do a lot of everything. Technology, magic…" She sighed a little, almost admiringly. "It's stupid to go directly after a strong king, Holly. One must weaken him first, and the best way to do so is to take down his queen." Here, she gave the redhead a pointedly hostile look.

Holly stared at Minerva, suddenly feeling a chill in the room. "What are you going to do to me?" she asked.

Minerva wrinkled her nose a little, looking the fairy over. "That depends on how well Artemis cooperates."

xXxXx

Artemis' head wouldn't stop pounding. What he was feeling wasn't anger, fear, or nervousness. It was more like he was feeling nothing – like all the organs inside of his chest and stomach had just disintegrated into nothingness. Artemis had felt this feeling before. It was the kind of emptiness that came with his father's disappearance, or his mother's illness. It was the kind of emptiness that allowed him to feel nothing.

Butler had left for Tara, to see if he could find anything. The bodyguard took two extra guns with him. "One for extra protection," he told Artemis. "And the second for Holly, if I should find her. Nothing comforts you after a kidnapping like a gun on your hip."

Foaly had, hesitantly, alerted the LEP. As Artemis had expected, they didn't think much of it. "They don't think we should worry," Foaly had told Artemis when he'd gotten back. "A grown fairy can go wherever she wants. We don't have enough reasoning to assume she's been kidnapped." He paused for a second. "Vinyaya's stuck in a meeting with the Council. We couldn't reach her either way."

"Tell her not to bother," Artemis said, tersely. He didn't look up from the map of Tara that Foaly had sent him. The security cameras showed nothing out of the ordinary before they were knocked out, but Artemis thought it was best to double check. "Even if the Council decided to get involved, who do you think would be their first suspect?"

Foaly frowned. "Opal?"

"Me." Artemis smiled, wryly. "She's stayed at my house last night, we had an argument this morning. And no one can deny that the first time we met…" he trailed off, frowning at the screen. Even though it was only a feed of Foaly to his side, he could feel the centaur's gaze.

"It wasn't exactly rose petals, rainbows and birds singing," Foaly agreed. "I see what you're saying." He gave the side of Artemis head a weak smile. "But who cares what those jerks think anyway, huh?"

Artemis smirked, but said nothing. For what seemed like the millionth time that day, he watched the security tape of Tara before everything went crazy. With that cold emptiness, he watched Holly arrive at the holy site. She landed gracefully amidst a few trees and her features were a bit hidden by their branches. He watched her search the place for anything that might give a hint as to where Opal might be. He watched her walk around, obviously growing frustrated when she found nothing. And then, the screen was overtaken by static and white noise. It was expected that it would do that, but Artemis couldn't help but jump every time it happened. Either way, the cameras were killed almost three and a half hours before he'd realized that Holly had been gone far too long. The icy feeling inside his chest intensified.

Artemis sat back, blinking at the screen and scowling. There must be a better way to go about this. There must be. Nothing would come of him staring blankly at an old security feed, trying to find something that wouldn't be there.

Before he could add to these thoughts, an alarm sounded and a small red light in the corner of his room lit up. Artemis sat up, heart pounding and opened the security monitors on his computer. Someone uninvited had entered the manor grounds.

Foaly let out a neigh, obviously startled by the sudden noise. "What is that?"

Artemis narrowed his eyes at his computer screen. "Keep working on the Tara cameras!" he snapped. The motion detecting system was going crazy. The system showed him that someone had just gotten too close to the gate, and something had appeared on the front step. Artemis furrowed his eyebrows in confusion – that didn't make sense. He switched to the security tapes, and frowned.

The feed showed a red van, zooming to the front gate. Artemis could tell that the vehicle had no license plate. The back window was down, but he couldn't make out who was inside. All of a sudden, a small package shot out of the open window, through the bars on the gate, and all the way across the front grounds to hit the front door before landing on the porch. The van subsequently floored away. Special delivery for Artemis Fowl…

Artemis scowled, but got up from his large swivel chair. He ignored Foaly's questioning stutters behind him as he stopped only to pick up a pair of surgical gloves before racing to the front door. He pulled it open, only to stop short, and stare at the package.

It was in a regular white, sealed box and was about the size of a text book. No name, no address.

For half a second, Artemis wondered if there might be anything dangerous inside of it, but quickly rationed that that can't be it. Or else they wouldn't have risked throwing it like that.

Putting on the gloves, Artemis reached down and gently picked up the package. It wasn't as heavy as he'd expected it to be. He closed the door and quickly made his way back up to his room, turning the box over in his hands as he examined it.

"What in Fronds' name just happened?!" Foaly demanded. Even as he ranted, his hooves flew across his own keyboard as he never slowed down in his task to fix the Tara cameras.

Artemis set the box down on his desk. "Blank box, no name, no address, delivered by what I have a feeling is going to be an unidentifiable vehicle with an unknown ownership."

Foaly hit an upload button and turned to stare quizzically at Artemis. The mastermind sounded strangely calm. It was a voice he'd heard a long while ago. Foaly didn't like it.

xXxXx

Opal smirked at the monitor that displayed a feed of their captive. The usually feisty, spunky Holly looked almost broken. Or maybe her hunched shoulders only indicated that she was tuckered out from screaming at Minerva.

_Speak of the she-devil and she will come._

Opal's smirk widened when Minerva entered security room. "Do you think you might have gone a little overboard?" she asked.

Minerva stepped up to the pixie and watched Holly for a second. "No," she said smoothly. A second later, she whipped around to study Opal's profile. "Do you?"

Opal laughed a little. "It was amusing; I'll grant you that. A lot of fun to watch," she said. "But, why? It was more than we needed."

Minerva responded, readily. "I was always someone who did extra credit, just for the hell of it," she said, flippantly. She turned back to Holly, and looked at her with the kind of satisfaction that a student has over an A+ assignment. "Some things are just good for your work. They also make such a pleasant and memorable impression on whoever gets to _see_ your work." She smiled a little. "Neither Artemis nor Holly will ever forget this."

Opal decided that there was more to it, but decided not to push the girl. Instead, she focused on what they agreed on. "No… They'll never forget _this_."

xXxXxXxXx

Minerva had gone crazy – the girl was mad. Holly Short had not realized the gravity of the situation before – it was much too surreal. Now she realized what was happening. She was at the mercy of one human insane genius, who was working alongside a fairy genius who was even more demented than her.

Holly could barely find the energy to move. She felt sick. She felt sick, helpless and violated.

As she sat, head slumped, looking defeated, and one random memory kept playing over and over again in her mind. One from a long time ago, before Minerva had entered the picture.

"_What did you think of me? When you first saw me?" Holly asked. She inhaled deeply, her eyes fluttering shut for a second. The garden was in full bloom. It was a beautiful summer day, and she was glad Artemis had agreed to take a walk outside. Usually, her visits to the manor were limited to the inside._

_Artemis didn't reply for a second. "You weren't green," he said, smiling._

_Holly whipped around to face him, her eyebrows rising curiously. "Green?" she asked. She had no idea what she was talking about._

_Artemis quirked a shoulder, still smiling slightly. "There was this drunken pixie we'd met before you. She was old, and terribly sick. She was green."_

_Holly blinked. She had a million questions about this pixie, but only one seemed really important at the moment. "Green? You thought I'd be green?"_

_Artemis frowned a little, staring at the grass beneath his loafers. "No, not green," he said._

_Holly gazed quizzically at him, her hazel eyes narrowing. "So? What were you expecting?" she asked. Then she smirked. "And how did I disappoint you?"_

_Artemis smirked, and it was half sarcastic and half charming. Only Artemis could smile like that – he made the redhead want to smack him and hug him all at once. "I was expecting a short, chubby fellow with a beard and sideburns. Also, we mustn't forget the marshmallow cereal."_

_Holly stopped short, surprised. "Lucky Charms? __You__ know about Lucky Charms?"_

_Artemis looked a tad put off by this comment. "We were children once," he said._

_Holly's lips quirked. "And I only offered you a lollipop." When Artemis scowled at her, she laughed a little. "So what did you think of me?"_

_Artemis didn't answer for a moment. He looked away and they took a few steps in silence. "When I first got a close look at you, I thought you were pretty." But then he rushed ahead, not even glancing at Holly to catch her wide eyes. "But more often than not, I think you look dangerous." Finally, he looked at her and shot her a small smile._

_Holly mirrored his expression. "What I just heard what that I'm dangerously pretty," she told him._

Holly felt sick.

xXxXxXxXxXx

Artemis sat down and opened a drawer, pulling out a mail opener. He shut the drawer and turned to the box, gently cutting through the sealed edges. He suddenly felt cold, as if the iciness inside of him was starting to spread. At one corner of his mind, it was almost comforting. Because it was so familiar. He sped up cutting the box.

Foaly watched Artemis work, his heart racing more and more as Artemis cut. He had a bad feeling about this. He almost felt sick.

Artemis had sliced through three of the box adjoining edges. He flipped the lid open to reveal what was inside, and heard Foaly let out an agonized, sickening neigh. For a second, Artemis wondered why Foaly was so upset. For a second, Artemis didn't recognize what was inside the box. But then he did.

The strands of soft, silky, wine-coloured strands that filled the box became painfully familiar.

xXxXxXxXx

A/n

Opal and Minerva have signed their own death warrants. You never touch the hair. You never EVER touch the hair.

In the next chapter, Opal and Minerva have another talk with Holly. Artemis reacts to his special delivery and he gets another message… This one's from Holly.

REVIEW!

Luv

Creatress


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